Japan urges citizens not to travel to China because of virus

The Japanese Foreign Ministry is urging its citizens not to travel to China because of the possibility of the further spread of a new virus

TOKYO —
The Japanese Foreign Ministry on Friday urged its citizens not to travel to China because of the possibility of the further spread of a new virus.

Japan had previously warned people not to travel to the epicenter of the virus in Wuhan and other cities in the same Hubei province in China.

The latest travel advisory said the Japanese should avoid non-essential trips elsewhere in China. The ministry said there are concerns that the disease could spread further, and that the U.S. and other countries including those in Europe had taken similar steps.

China has reported 9,692 confirmed cases with a death toll of 213 as of Friday, and the World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a global emergency.

Japan has 14 confirmed cases, including two suspected human-to-human infections.

Japan has evacuated hundreds of citizens from Wuhan this week. A third chartered flight brought back more than 190 people from Wuhan earlier Friday, after evacuating 416 on two earlier flights.

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